Cuomo Passes on Hevesi

Democratic officials, not actually wanting to gift the comptroller’s office to the Republicans, have gone through the comically awkward balancing act of indicating that they intend to vote for Hevesi without suggesting that they approve of him or his behavior.

The balancing act is that much tougher, apparently, if you’re running for a law enforcement position like — let’s just say — attorney general.

I asked Andrew Cuomo, who hasn’t officially endorsed Hevesi, who he intends to vote for on Tuesday.

Short answer: He won’t say.

His spokeswoman, Wendy Katz said this via email:

“Andrew has said many times that he believes Mr. Hevesi has gravely compromised his ability to do his job and that voters should have all the facts and be informed. He has also said that he will not politicize the ongoing investigation by expressing his political or personal position on Mr. Hevesi because he will not compromise his ability to render an impartial judgment as Attorney General since he may be handling the matter.”

Update: Eliot Spitzer, who made a show of withdrawing his endorsement of Hevesi, isn’t saying if he’ll vote for him. When asked, Spitzer called it a personal decision, according to his spokeswoman, Christine Anderson.